


Love Line

by lovbeom



Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Idols, M/M, kpop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:08:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28663707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovbeom/pseuds/lovbeom
Summary: There was someone sitting there that drew his attention. Jaebeom notes how lost he looked in his thoughts. He looked almost sad, but maybe he wasn’t. Perhaps he has something going on, but it also seemed like he didn’t want to be with his friends right now. Alone time? Maybe that’s what he needs. Jaebeom occasionally looked away, but his eyes kept falling back on him.“Pretty.” He mouths to himself.
Relationships: Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum | JB
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who has read my stories here from AO3 or followed me when I was still on Tumblr, you know that the source of my stories have been with Jaebeom and Youngjae. I really loved creating storylines with this pairing and have really enjoyed my time as an ahgase when I first found them. Maybe three months or some time ago, I started writing a new draft with the idea of using their song "Breath" as the prompt. There's a lyric that goes "now we're breathing the same breath, it's getting blurry the line between you and me." So that's how I came up with "Love Line" for the title of this story!
> 
> I haven't posted any of the chapters until now because truthfully, I've been trying to finish it before I could. I was hoping that when I finish the story entirely, then the updates would be consistent, and I wouldn't have to worry about trying to write quickly or feel pressured. But as we all know, everyone in GOT7 will be going in a different direction and will be pursuing their own successful careers. I feel like I would still write Jaebeom and Youngjae fanfic even when the group disbands, but at the same time, I don't know if I will ! I honestly don't have anything to lose posting this first chapter now and though I haven't gotten far in writing this story, it's okay.
> 
> So please just know that updates will be incredibly slow or maybe the worse scenario is that it will be left incomplete after four chapters. But even with that said, I still hope you enjoy reading this story.

The library was quiet as expected, but maybe it was because more people decided to procrastinate on their work today. Whatever the case may be, Jaebeom was fortunate that he didn’t have to share a table with someone else and could hoard one all to himself. But sometimes when it gets too quiet, it’s hard for him to concentrate. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a small white case. The top pops off from the hidden magnet. Jaebeom takes his wireless earbuds out and inserts them into his ears. They sat comfortably for a while until he had to readjust one of them again.

His phone already had Spotify opened, his favorite song just on pause and ready to be played. Jaebeom turned on his bluetooth, and the song started playing automatically. He sat back in the chair and closed his eyes for a short moment. As the song played through his earbuds, it suddenly stopped.

They ran out of batteries. “Are you kidding me.” He whispered to himself, clearly annoyed that he had forgotten to let them charge overnight. It’s one thing to forget your earphones at home, and it’s another when you forget to charge it. Guess he’ll have to focus without the music. Jaebeom puts them back in their case and throws them into his backpack. They’re practically useless to use now.

He leans over the table and rests his head on his hand. It was difficult to concentrate for some reason. Jaebeom sighed, clearly frustrated because he wants to study for his exam. He taps his pencil repeatedly against the rough surface of the desk, mouthing the words from the textbook in front him.

“What does that mean?” He raises his eyebrow questionably. He rereads the text over and over again, and yet he still couldn’t process any of the words he’d just read. He didn’t understand anything. Maybe it’s just one of those days.

So he started packing his books with hopes to get another attempt at studying later tonight. It was rather disappointing that he got lucky today with an empty table only for him not to be able to get anything done. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and slid his chair back in its place. Just as he took a few steps away from the table, a small group of students passed him. They were quite rowdy, whispering past the “don’t be loud” library rule. Jaebeom sure got himself out of that situation of having to share a table with them.

The automatic doors of the library parted for Jaebeom. He stood off to the side, watching the campus carry students from all grades. He sighed. His day wasn’t necessarily going as planned considering he didn’t get any studying done. Jaebeom checks his watch for the time, and it was just a little past two. It was the perfect time for lunch. So the plan for the afternoon was to get lunch, then he can probably grab some small ingredients at his local grocery store for dinner. Having a study session while eating sounds just like the way to get his concentration and focus going.

The quickest way around lunch for a college student was at a convenience store. They have a variety of different snacks and meals for affordable prices. He’s not exactly getting any paychecks from a job right now anyway. Jaebeom makes his way through campus to the other side of the parking lot. The closest convenience store was walking distance, but that meant he’d have to give fifteen minutes of his time walking. Which he didn’t mind at all, walking was more calming for him. There are times when sitting in the passenger’s seat and looking out the window was relaxing, but those are best suited for certain days.

The air conditioner in the store was whirring loudly. It blew cold air into every aisle, there’s probably no need for any of the coolers then. Jaebeom strapped his backpack tighter onto his shoulders and greeted the clerk with a little head bow.

“Don’t even think about stealing anything, kid.” The clerk muttered under his breath. Jaebeom turned his head back around and stared at him questionably. Did he hear that right? Of course not, why would he think about stealing anything. Has there been that many incidents that he has to warn every customer who comes in? Maybe it’s just the students he’s cautious about.

“Never thought about it.” Jaebeom takes a turn into a random aisle. There he spots a few hot bars hanging above the top shelf. He grabbed one or two original sausages, not minding that there were spicy ones next to them. He heads to the back where the self-serve coolers were resting against the walls. He scans the shelves until he finds the tuna samgak kimbap. It was really tempting to grab two, but Jaebeom only took one off the shelf. A drink and some ramen could help tie all these snacks together for a good meal.

He waits in line for the register. He stood tall behind someone else who was already there before him, but he felt the clerk eyeing him. It was rather uncomfortable to say the least, but Jaebeom avoided his gaze until it was time for him to ring up his items. He adds each of his items to the counter, putting down the strawberry milk last.

“See,” Jaebeom whips out his wallet and casually hands over his debit card, “didn’t steal anything.”

The clerk didn’t make a comment. “$12.49.”

Like most convenience stores, there was outside seating with those huge umbrellas to provide shade. There were only two tables, but both of them weren’t occupied. Jaebeom sat at the one furthest from the door. He lets his ramen sit in the hot water for a moment and unwraps the plastic bag to pull out his sides. The hot bars are already warm from the microwave, and the strawberry milk is ready to drink from its straw. Normally he’d eat way more than what he’s got now, but today he’s keeping it small. He doesn’t want to be struck with a food coma after all. If he takes a nap, who knows when he’ll ever wake up again.

By the time he finished eating, it was near four. Jaebeom cleaned up his table, being sure not to leave any trash behind. It was quite filling to say the least, but he should still think about what he should make for dinner. Maybe something small and nothing too grand. As he was about to start walking to the bus stop, Jaebeom thought about how much easier it’d be to buy a pack of spicy rice cakes. You know, the ones that come with the sauce and rice cakes all in one. Just a few minutes to boil, and it’s all ready.

The streets were bustling with cars. Everyone is probably on their way home from work. Jaebeom unzipped his backpack and stuffed a small plastic bag into it. He’s kind of excited to have tteokbokki later tonight now. He rests his backpack on the side of the bench and leans over. His forearms just resting on his knees. He was tired. He’s not sure what he’s tired from exactly, but perhaps it’s just the fact that today was going by so slowly. He hadn’t gotten much done, but suddenly everything felt so draining. It’s okay, he’ll be home soon.

The bus pulls up after Jaebeom’s been waiting for a little over half an hour. The time drags on longer since it takes a while to load the bus and then having to wait for it to drop people off. The doors open for him. The bus driver smiles and watches Jaebeom scan his card through the system.

“Thank you.” Jaebeom holds up his card and goes find a seat. There were a few people already on the bus, but it wasn’t enough to call it packed. He takes a seat in the second to last row away from those riding the bus in pairs or in small groups. It’s the best way to avoid any possible interaction like this.

The sun was setting early today. Jaebeom made it back to his apartment just when there was a bit of light outside. The keypad unlocks after he inputs his four-digit pin. It was kind of dark, but not so bad that he’d turn on the lights. He takes off his shoes by the front door and drops his backpack by his small desk. Jaebeom makes his way to his room to change into more comfortable clothes, his pajamas hanging loosely over his body as compared to his t-shirt tucked tightly in his jeans.

His couch was rather small too, but it was the perfect size for this apartment. He groaned, stretching his arms out wide for a big stretch and then laying himself on the couch. He didn’t want to lay on his bed because he didn’t want to accidentally fall asleep. But despite his intentions of being on the couch instead to prevent that from happening, he still dozed off.

“I’m tired.” Jaebeom justified. “Maybe a short nap is okay.”

It got dark quick. By the time Jaebeom woke up, it was half past nine. He couldn’t brush off the grogginess immediately, but the panic started to set in when he realized he’d lost track of time. It kind of helps that it was the weekend, so he can spend the next two days studying to make up for the time lost from sleeping. But then again, he should've already started studying like three hours ago.

He laid there for a bit, trying to muster up the energy to get off from the couch. He wonders what it’d be like to be asleep for a thousand years, that would be beyond relaxing wouldn’t it? Having no other option, Jaebeom makes his way over to his desk reluctantly. He props himself on his wooden chair and grabs his backpack.

The spicy rice cakes he’d forgotten were still in there. Jaebeom looks over at his kitchen stove. Munching on something like this while studying sounds good. So he’s up again, this time grabbing a small pot to boil some water. He peels open the small pouch of rice cakes and lets them fall to the bottom of the pot. He lets out a small “ah” from seeing the sauce packet splash into the boiling water too. He skipped one important step and that was mixing the sauce into the water. It was a clumsy mistake.

The rice cakes were served hot in a ceramic bowl. Jaebeom let the water-filled pot sit in the sink to soak first before washing it. He brought the plate with him over to his desk, not forgetting to get himself a glass of water too. He can finally sit down to work now.

A lamp sat on his desk. The heat from the light helped him read the words right from his textbook. There was a pile of worn down books in the corner, his pencil pouch wide open, and scattered lined paper with notes covering every other inch of his space. He had made two separate stacks of mini flashcards to help him with his studies. Jaebeom turns the page of his book and continues to read the next following paragraphs. His other hand grabs the metal fork resting in his food bowl and takes a few more bites of the rice cakes. He’s been eating here and there, but there’s still so much left. Jaebeom can feel his stomach telling him to stop eating.

Just as he puts his fork down, his phone starts ringing. He forgot to silence his phone. He whipped his head around to see his phone on the end table by the couch, so instead he lets it go to voicemail. When it was quiet again, he returned to taking notes. But there was a vibration, his phone played its own song again as another call was coming in. Jaebeom groans, getting up from his seat to check who was trying to call him at this hour. He looks at the time displayed on his lockscreen. It was almost eleven.

“Jackson.”

“Jaebeom?” The voice from the other side answers him. “What are you doing right now?”

“Do you need me for something?” Jaebeom’s trying to urge his friend to get to the point. “I’m actually busy, I’m studying right now.”

“Come on, how about you take a break? We’re all having some barbeque right now.”

“No, I really can’t. I have an exam next Tuesday, and I really need to pass it.” Jaebeom makes his way back to his desk. He picks up his pencil again to finish writing the last bullet point for this section of notes.

“Hey, give me the phone.” Another voice was heard talking to Jackson.

“You’re gonna be on speaker, hold on.” Jackson pulls the phone away. “Mark’s saying that you should feel lucky. He’s gonna be—”

“I’m gonna visit my family over the weekend.” Mark interrupts. “I have an exam on Monday, but I won’t be back until Tuesday or Wednesday. I haven’t really thought that far yet, but my professor won’t let me take it after I come back. She’s giving me access to it online instead. I won’t have time to take it, since I’ll be spending time with my family, so I’ll have to take it in the car. Sounds great, huh.”

“Mark spent all day studying today, and he’s here.” Jackson spoke again. “So come meet up with us.”

“That’s great, but I didn’t get to study all day today.” Jaebeom speeds up the conversation with hopes to end it really soon. He really wants to get back to studying. “I couldn’t study earlier today and pretty much wasted most of my time, so I have to go.”

“Jaebeom, come on—”

“You guys have fun without me. Okay, bye!” Jaebeom lets out a sigh. He puts his phone to the side and tries to get back to studying. But it was a bit difficult now, his focus was drawn to something else. He picks up his pencil again, but he turns to stare at his phone. It sat there silently, but knowing them, Jaebeom knew that they might try to call him again.

His phone lights up, and this was now the third time that Jaebeom heard his ringtone. “Yes, Jackson?”

“Please come hang out with us. All of us haven’t hung out in awhile, it’ll be nice.”

Jaebeom looks at this half eaten tteokbokki, which was quite filling. “I ate already, so I’m pretty full.”

“Then have a drink or something. They have a lot of options here, you don’t have to eat.” Jackson is really trying to convince Jaebeom to take a break.

“I hate that you’re so persistent, you know that?” Jaebeom couldn’t help, but smile. “I’ll be there soon.”

Right before Jaebeom hung up, he heard his friends exclaim happily. He sits back in his chair and tilts his head back. He closes his eyes for a brief moment to take in the quiet. You could hear the streets below his apartment sound lively through the amount of cars running and honking their horns.

“Just for a little bit and then you get to go home.” Jaebeom tells himself. The sooner he leaves his place now, then the sooner he gets to come back home. He’s out of his chair and goes to change back into his casual outfit from earlier today. There’s no point in dressing up, plus it’s just easier not having to put so much thought into wondering what to wear.

Jaebeom turns off the lamp on his desk and grabs his baseball cap on the way out. It somewhat adds to his outfit. He makes his way to the restaurant by taking a cab downtown. He always thought the streetlights made the night way prettier. It gives him something to stare at while in the car.

It probably took around twenty minutes to get there with all the traffic. Jaebeom hops out of the cab as he waves to the driver. “Thank you.” The night life was never quiet. There were so many people out with their friends, and Jaebeom could see how much fun every person was having. The loud laughter from different groups wasn't that exciting to him at the moment. At this time, Jaebeom couldn’t really enjoy anything. His mind was wrapped around his exam.

The restaurant was just a few stores down. Jaebeom made his way over, peering through the glass walls to find his friends. They were already waiting for him and started waving enthusiastically for him to come in. Jackson especially, he had already spotted Jaebeom walking back.

“Took you long enough.” Jackson gestures him over to sit across from him.

Jaebeom sat down, fixing his hat lower. His joy wasn’t up to par with his friends right now, but he doesn’t want to ruin the mood. He smiles, “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Aye, you didn’t want to come a second ago.” Yugyeom commented from the side. He pours a shot of soju and gently passes it over to Jaebeom.

“No, I’m good.” He declines the offer. “I’ll just have water.”

“Just one shot, yeah?” Jackson pours himself a shot too. There was no pressure, and Jaebeom obviously didn’t mind. It was just one shot, so there was nothing to worry about. He did take a cab here anyway. He picks up his shot glass and goes into a silent cheer with his friends. Their glasses clinked and every one of them downed their own shot.

Jaebeom emitted an audible sound of relief and then took a sip of water. Not the best cleanser, but it will do. His eyes wander around the room. He watches other tables and finds that they also had open bottles of soju. Some more than others, some with soda instead. He focuses back on his friends with Mark detailing his plans for his family trip over the weekend, and suddenly Jaebeom peers back up again. He stares at this one table in particular intently.

There was someone sitting there that drew his attention. Jaebeom notes how lost he looked in his thoughts. He looked almost sad, but maybe he wasn’t. Perhaps he has something going on, but it also seemed like he didn’t want to be with his friends right now. Alone time? Maybe that’s what he needs. Jaebeom occasionally looked away, but his eyes kept falling back on him.

“Pretty.” He mouths to himself.

“Here, another shot?” Jackson refills the shot glass by Jaebeom, who was clearly spaced out. It wasn’t noticed by any of his friends. He makes some murmuring sound as he doesn’t decline the offer and picks up his shot glass again. The soju leaves a very light burn in his throat. When he looks back at the table from earlier, he unexpectedly makes eye contact with him. Did he notice Jaebeom too? Jaebeom feels his skin burn up, unsure if it was because he was drinking. Hopefully he didn’t notice. Jaebeom fixes his hat by pushing it down further.

“Why does every restaurant have like a family photo on the wall?” Unsure who asked, Jaebeom just peered up and noticed a sizable photo of unfamiliar faces behind him. Then it hit him, maybe he wasn’t really looking at him at all then. That’s fine, but why does he feel kind of sad about it?

“So pretty.” He mumbles to himself. When he slowly gathered the courage to look up again, the person that had caught his eyes was already leaving with his friends.

“Ah,” Jaebeom lets out a sound of disappointment. He wishes to see him again deep down, but those hopes aren’t too high. He needs luck if he wants to see someone like him again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strawberry milk, just like from his lunch the other day. Jaebeom stared at the milk carton and picked it up. It was still really cold. He looked over at the other person in surprise as he didn’t expect him to give him a drink.

He thought he’d be home sooner, but it didn’t turn out that way. Jaebeom came home two hours later than he’d hoped. It was already past midnight, and he was really exhausted from that social hangout with his friends. He took off his cap and placed it somewhere on the kitchen counter as he walked by. He grabbed his textbook on the way to his bedroom and threw it on his unmade bed. The lights from the bedroom flickered. Jaebeom changed into his pajamas and crawled into the comfort of his own bed.

It seemed that he was already about to fall asleep, but he held out a little bit longer to study. He thought maybe reading will keep him up for a few more minutes, but he started to drift to sleep instead. The reading was soothing to him or maybe it was just really boring. He’s a really deep sleeper, sometimes an alarm doesn’t wake him up on time. In cases like this, he’s bound to wake up late in the morning.

When the sun began to beam through his bedroom curtains, Jaebeom stretched out his arms and slowly sat up from bed. It was hard to miss how bright it was considering his curtains were so thin. He sat there for a minute, letting himself adjust to the early morning. He rubbed his neck firmly, feeling how stiff it had become. The clock on the wall read 11:45 AM, of course he’d wake up so late. Jaebeom got out of bed to wash up. His routine was simple, but at the same time it could be a rigorous routine for someone else. It was a step-by-step skincare routine that he followed intensively. It’s perfect for him, but maybe it just wasn’t suitable for someone who’d prefer just a cleanser and moisturizer.

Usually during this time, he’d get a call from his friends to go out for lunch. But before he left last night, Jaebeom had already told them that he had plans to study. He had to be very strict about it too, which he hates doing sometimes. But it matters to him to do well in his classes, so he had to be assertive. He leaves his room and starts packing up his class notes. It’s the afternoon on a Saturday, he’s sure there are many other students who are at the campus library right now cramming for their exams too.

Just when he was about to leave, Jaebeom remembered that Mark was gonna be out the entire weekend. “Ah, I should text him.” He takes out his phone and shoots his friend a short encouraging message.

“Good luck on your exam.” Sent.

He closed the door on his way out and made his way to the library in no rush. Sometimes he’d go in a hurry to get a table for himself, but it didn’t matter today. Jaebeom stayed at the closest bus stop and waited patiently, his mind was too focused on reciting important notes for the exam right now.

Just then the bus pulled up, but was Jaebeom so spaced out to not have noticed? He hears someone talking to him and looks up to see the bus driver waving him over.

“Were you waiting for this bus?”

To that Jaebeom grabbed his backpack and quickly got on the bus, scanning his pass for permission to take a seat. “Sorry.”

He didn’t take into account how much longer it’d be to get to the library before the bus started making frequent stops. Passengers were making their way off the bus and others were just starting to join in on the ride. But it’s fine, bus rides alone can be relaxing when you’re listening to music and sitting next to the window.

The campus was just on the other side of the street. Jaebeom took a breath and got up from his seat. The bus had finally stopped where he wanted it to. He thanked the driver before getting off. There were a few people walking over to campus with their backpacks, all looking quite stuffed with their books. Fortunately for Jaebeom, he didn’t have as much to carry compared to them.

Students were making their way in and out of the library. Jaebeom pulled the door open and felt the cool breeze of the air conditioner inside. It felt really nice, but Jaebeom does get cold easily. He wore an oversized purple hoodie on top of his light blue jeans. His white sneakers still looked really clean as if it was just taken out of its box.

Jaebeom walked in and took the stairs to the upper floor. He makes his way towards the table he always sits at and notices that someone was already sitting there. Not that it was occupied already, it was technically two tables that were pushed together. It’s not a big deal, he can sit on the other side. His back was turned towards him and as Jaebeom got closer, he made his way around the table to grab a chair.

Jaebeom took a short glance at him as he sat down. Something about him was really familiar to him, but maybe it was nothing. He took out his work and didn’t waste any more time to set up. He started reviewing his notes once he had them out.

Jaebeom would hear him reading to himself the same sentences until he understood it from time to time. That’s something a lot of people do, but for some odd reason this was really cute to him. At times when he would hear him, Jaebeom would find himself smiling. Hopefully it wasn’t obvious enough or maybe people would think he thought his literature book cracked a funny joke. But nonetheless, these small smiles should be kept to himself.

“He was definitely here before me.” Jaebeom thought. He’d been studying for an hour now, so that means he has too. “Did I get here immediately after he did or has he already been here for a while now?” For someone who he doesn’t even know, he seems to have a lot of thoughts on him. Suddenly Jaebeom felt his throat had gone dry. He didn’t drink any water since he’d gotten here or had any water breaks. This is clearly the opposite of taking care of yourself. He opened his backpack that was already unzipped and reached inside to grab his hydroflask.

He forgot it at home. On a day that he remembers to charge his wireless earphones overnight, he forgot to bring his water bottle with him. It’s always one or the other, not both. Jaebeom couldn’t help, but to let out a cough. He’d tried his best to keep it in, but the dryness was making it difficult for him. There was a vending machine nearby on campus. They’re not at all hard to find around here, but they did run pretty expensively by a few dollars. As he was about to get up from his seat, a hand reached over and placed a small drink by the corner of his notebook.

Strawberry milk, just like from his lunch the other day. Jaebeom stared at the milk carton and picked it up. It was still really cold. He looked over at the other person in surprise as he didn’t expect him to give him a drink.

“It might help a little.” He whispered to Jaebeom, being mindful not to be so loud.

“No, it’s okay.” Jaebeom tried to give it back to him, but he refused. He reached into his own backpack and pulled out another carton.

“I have another one.” He shook the strawberry milk a little and gave him a gentle smile.

It occurred to Jaebeom that he’s seen him before. There’s no way he wouldn’t remember how pretty he looked. “Ah, from last night.”

Confused, the familiar face cocked his head to the side. “Hm?”

Jaebeom didn’t mean to say that out loud. He pulled back into his seat from slight embarrassment. “No, nothing. Thank you by the way.”

With that he gave Jaebeom another smile and went back to eyeing his own notes. In the top right hand corner read his name “Youngjae.” Yesterday was pretty productive for him overall, but his night was interrupted. He had no choice and was obligated to hang out with his friends. He had already spent the entire day studying, considering that midterms were coming up, and he wanted to study for a little bit before heading to bed. But on the contrary, he did need a study break.

Youngjae knew that it’s important to take a break when you’ve been studying for hours on end, but at the same time doing anything other than studying made him feel like he was wasting his time. So when he met up with his friends for some barbeque get together, he spent the majority of his time lost in his worries. Should he really be here right now? Wouldn’t it be better to spend this precious time studying instead? It was hard to have fun when all Youngjae felt was the guilt of not being a student right now.

“Hey, relax.” Bambam put some cooked bulgogi onto Youngjae’s plate. The steam was visible from its opaque heat. “You’re away from the books, you should be resting now.” 

“Youngjae, you’re always doing your best.” Jinyoung chimed in upon hearing Bambam and his comments. “You’ve been working so hard. You know just as much as us that you’ll do well on your exams!”

His friends knew how hard working he is, and sometimes Youngjae doesn’t realize that he could overwork himself until someone tells him. Having his friends comfort him was reassuring, but sometimes their words can’t get to him the way they try to.

“Thanks, guys.” Youngjae smiles sweetly at them, clearly grateful to have such supportive friends who care for him. But despite thanking them, he still felt uneasy. He lets out a sigh and takes a shot of soju that Bambam had already poured for him. The sweet taste of the added peach flavor was nice, but it still left a lightweight burn in his throat.

Youngjae was quiet for the most part. Sometimes he would zone out of his friends’ conversations because his mind would fall back to his worries. But even when he’s in his own world like this, Youngjae thinks he’s still capable of being aware of his surroundings. Although his eyes tend to wander mindlessly when he doesn’t mean to and when they stop, he zones out completely.

Bambam was sitting directly in front of him when he decided to whip his head around to see what Youngjae was presumably staring at. He turned around back at his friend and wore a curious expression. “What are you staring at?”

Youngjae was unresponsive for a second before saying anything. “Huh?” He was confused, but he had to play it off somehow. “Oh, that picture over there.” He raises his arm and points straight ahead to a large family photo that adorned the wall.

“Ah, that?” Bambam follows the gesture. “I think that’s the restaurant owner’s family. I’m pretty sure this is a family-owned business? But I could be wrong, I’m not sure.”

Youngjae started a pretty useless conversation among his friends, but a little white lie like that was better than explaining how he was thinking about studying. They’d tease him like crazy for being such a scholar, and he didn’t want to drag that on. He just wants to do well in his classes.

As he sat there listening to his friends talking about what kind of restaurants they would open, Youngjae felt a pair of eyes on him. Not once did he make eye contact with them. It was hard to pinpoint where this feeling was coming from exactly, but even with this many people, there was one person who stood out to him.

His beige hat was low on his head, but Youngjae could still get a glimpse of his eyes. As everyone else seemed cheery and having the most fun, he seemed out of place. He may be smiling and drinking with his friends, but there were short moments when he’d catch him looking down. It was almost as if they were feeling the same way, but of course, how could he ever know that? But there was something about him that captivated Youngjae, and he just had a hard time looking away.

“Are you ready to get going?” Bambam asked as he waved over the closest waiter for the bill. “Can you split the bill too?” The waitress nodded and made her way back to the cash register.

Youngjae took his last bite by making a lettuce wrap with some bulgogi. He added fish cake, kimchi, and a cube of pickled radish. He ate it in a hurry before it was time to leave. As he got up from his seat, he took one last glance at the person who interested him. But those eyes also peered back at Youngjae and for a split second, Youngjae felt as if his heart skipped a beat.

Youngjae and his friends stood in front of the restaurant to regroup. They were all so full from dinner, but Youngjae on the other hand wished he would've eaten more. He practically spent the entire time sitting there worrying so much about not being able to study.

“So stupid.” Youngjae mumbled to himself.

“Okay, sounds good.” Bambam sounded pretty excited, but Youngjae didn’t know what was going on or what the plan was now. “We’ll just meet up there then?”

“Wait, what are we doing?” Youngjae asked in a hurry before they all started to leave.

“Karaoke?” Jinyoung voiced. “The one just a block down, remember that one?”

Youngjae nodded as he took out his phone to check the time. It was just a little past twelve, now he had to have a debate with himself on whether or not he should tag along. But while he stood there staring at his phone screen, he felt an arm swing around him.

“You’re not thinking about going home to study are you?” Bambam asked cheekily with his hands resting on Youngjae’s tensed shoulders. Upon hearing this, Youngjae decided that he should push himself to have fun and spend more time with his friends. Besides, he already spent all day studying prior to this meetup.

“Nope, let’s go.”

Although his work ethics may be different from his friends, Youngjae can always match their energy whenever they’re together. It’s something that can always make him feel better.

Well, at least that’s what he thought. Youngjae sat in the middle of their booth watching Jinyoung and Yugyeom fail to hit the high notes. They were both slurring the lyrics so badly, some might think they were doing it on purpose. He looked down at his untouched drink that was filled with light whiskey. His fingers began tracing the rim of his cup.

“He was so handsome.” Youngjae mumbled to himself. Even if he had said it out loud, no one would hear because of the loud music overwhelming the speakers. Maybe he overestimated himself, Youngjae was clearly not feeling any better. He had his mind cluttered with all this studying, but now he was thinking about this one person he saw for a mere second at some restaurant. Shocked, Youngjae leaned back and looked down at his pants in panic.

“Am I just frustrated?” Youngjae peers back up again and clicks his tongue. “No, that can’t be.”

“Okay, it’s your turn.” Jinyoung hands over his mic to the younger.

“Actually, I think I should get going now.”

“Already? You only sang one song.” Jinyoung almost stumbles on his feet and then sits down. “Please don’t make me sing with Yugyeom again. He keeps slurring, and it’s messing up my score.”

Yugyeom was flipping through the pages of the karaoke binder. He looks over at his two friends and furrows his eyebrows at Jinyoung. “What do you mean I keep slurring!”

“And there he goes.” Jinyoung rests his back against the booth seat. Yugyeom began to pout and closed the binder he was looking through.

“You were slurring your words too!” Yugyeom walks over to the seat and sits in the middle. “Jinyoung always teases me, it’s so annoying. I won’t sing anymore!”

“Okay, okay.” Jinyoung chuckles. “You’re such a kid sometimes.”

Youngjae couldn’t hold in his laughter. He can say for sure that the friendship dynamic between Jinyoung and Yugyeom is very interesting. It’s funny to him, and he’s sure that it’s the same way for Jinyoung as well.

“Are you gonna go home?” The youngest asks Youngjae. It seems like everything with Jinyoung was resolved, and to this he smiles.

“Yeah, I really should.” Youngjae starts grabbing his things before heading back out. “You guys get home with a cab, ‘kay? I’ll let you know when I’m back home.”

“Sure, be safe.” Jinyoung waves.

And that was basically how his night went with his friends. Even though he got less sleep than usual, he still woke up at the same time. Youngjae got out of bed to wash up. He walked into his kitchen, however, he decided to skip on breakfast this morning. He opened his fridge and saw that he had two strawberry milk cartons left. So he grabbed both of them and put them in his backpack. Two should be enough to make him full. He wanted to head over to the campus library to get some studying done. Knowing that exams are coming up next week, Youngjae is expecting to see a lot of students in study rooms or packed library tables.

But surprisingly, Youngjae had copped an empty table all to himself. The last night he would want is to bother someone’s concentration with his reading. He tends to read out loud to himself and sometimes Youngjae’s not conscious of it. It’s a habit.

After some time, Youngjae saw someone walk by him and take a seat at the same table. He tapped his phone awake and realized he’s already studied for an hour. The one hour here sure didn’t feel that productive. There was so much to study and the exam is days away. Youngjae dropped his pencil and stretched out his arms. He managed to crack one eye open to look at the other person. Upon his realization that this face looked so familiar, Youngjae slowly brought his hands down.

“It’s him.” Youngjae’s face flushed with red from slight embarrassment. He felt like he’s been staring for too long, he definitely made it too obvious. He quickly picked up his pencil again and mindlessly looked down at his notes. He had a feeling that the handsome face was staring at him too. “Please don’t notice me, please don’t notice me.”

When he looked away, Youngjae felt relieved. “Okay, maybe he wasn’t staring at me.” But with this situation that he’s in, how is Youngjae able to concentrate on studying now? Youngjae thought maybe rereading his notes would get him back into the zone, so he started scanning words. He looked at them over and over again and eventually, his lips started to mouth the words aloud.

Usually he isn’t aware that he reads things out loud to himself, but being around someone handsome he somewhat met last night made him nervous. “Did he hear me?” Youngjae eyed the other from his peripheral and noticed he was smiling.

“He’s smiling.” Youngjae gazed back at his notes. “Was I reading weird? Maybe he was thinking of something funny. Agh, why does his smile look so cute?”

Youngjae broke his focus again. At this rate, would he be able to study much longer? How can being around someone he doesn’t know distract him so much like this? Just then he heard someone coughing. Youngjae secretly watched as he reached into his backpack, but brought nothing out. “It looks like he doesn’t have water with him. I don’t either, but—should I give him my strawberry milk carton?”

He didn’t even know when he got the milk carton out from his backpack, but Youngjae nervously reached over the table and placed it down. He isn’t very good at reading facial expressions at all, and he thought he might’ve done a really bad thing.

“It might help a little.” Youngjae tried to speak up, but his voice was shaking so much. Hopefully he didn’t notice it.

“No, it’s okay.” His voice was so soothing, it took Youngjae by surprise. He didn’t expect a handsome face to have such a husky voice like that. But to be honest, it really suits him.

Youngjae leaned to the side to reach into his backpack again. He pulls out his second milk carton and stares at it before looking up again. “I have another one.” He tried to be a little charming and gave a kind smile.

“Ah, from last night.”

“Hm?” Youngjae can hear his heart beat really fast inside his head.

“No, nothing. Thank you by the way.”

Youngjae proceeded to smile before looking down for the last time again today. “He knows it’s me.” His heart was pounding like crazy. “What do I do now?”

He can’t concentrate at all. Youngjae quickly stacked all his notes together to put them back into his binder. He really didn’t want to mess this up any more than he thought he did, but that might’ve been a little too late. Youngjae closed his textbook a bit too hard and blew a few papers off the table. They weren’t even his.

“I’m so sorry.” Youngjae’s voice at this point is shaking indefinitely. He falls to the ground to pick up the papers again when he hears a soft “it’s okay” beside him. The notes all said “Jaebeom” in the top corner.

He gave his notes back to Jaebeom and sincerely apologized again. Youngjae strapped on his backpack and turned away to leave immediately. Jaebeom had just sat back down in his seat, but he found himself getting up again. His arm wanting to reach out to Youngjae and wishing he’d stay longer. “I didn’t get to ask about you.”

Youngjae made it out of the library and started to slow down until he came to a complete stop. He whips his head back around to look at the building he had just come out of. Frustrated and embarrassed, Youngjae closed his eyes and grabbed his hair.

“I’m going crazy.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near the end of each day, the sun would switch shifts with the moon. By this time, Youngjae was already heading to bed. He always sets an alarm beforehand, but this time around he decided to wake up earlier than usual. The library opens later on the weekends at ten instead of their usual eight. “Wake up at 9:30 and then I’ll head over to the library to—to study.” Because there’s no way that he would go to campus so early in the morning just to see Jaebeom, right? There’s absolutely no way.

Jaebeom sat alone at the table and for once, this might be the first time when he didn’t like having a table all to himself. “Why didn’t I have the confidence to talk to him?” He groaned into his hands. There’s no reason to stay any longer. He can barely focus to continue his studies when his mind is clouded about someone else.

“I didn’t even get to ask for his name.”

He shoved everything into his backpack, not really caring about sorting his notes properly. When he finally left the library, Jaebeom took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He has friends who he can rely on and who are good to him, but when it comes to truly understanding him it has to be Mark.

“Hello?” Mark answered through the phone.

“Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, not at all.” Mark reassured. “Is something wrong? You sound kind of serious.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I just—” Jaebeom wasn’t too sure himself if this was considered a serious matter. But he remembers Mark telling him that when he’s heavy in his thoughts, it’s always going to be serious. If not to Jaebeom, then to Mark. “I’m having a little bit of trouble, yeah.”

Usually they would meet up to have these types of conversations, but because Mark is away to visit his family they’d just have to resort to talking over the phone.

“I didn’t even ask about your family.” At times like this, it makes Jaebeom feel bad for seeming selfish. “Is everyone doing well? This isn’t a family emergency, right?”

“No, everyone’s good.” Mark responded. “Everyone is basically here, and this is the only weekend when everyone can meet like this. Except for me, but I’m glad I can be away from my classes right now to be with them.”

Jaebeom caught a bus right in time before it had left. For the entire ride, he was listening to Mark catch him up on family updates. In between his talk, Mark would hesitate and make sure Jaebeom wants him to keep going. And when he’d get the okay to keep talking, he knows that talking about something else helps Jaebeom keep his mind off of everything that’s bothering him.

“That’s basically it.” Mark ended. “Do you want to talk now?”

On his side, Mark heard four consecutive beeps. Jaebeom came into his apartment and went straight to his couch. He sat down and let out a sigh. To be honest, it’s been awhile since Jaebeom ever talked about his feelings about someone. Could he even call it a crush at this point? No, that’d be too ridiculous.

“So you like him?” Mark was very monotone. Hearing this, Jaebeom could feel his cheeks flush and he covered his eyes with his arm.

“You know, I might’ve said there’s no way it’s a crush,” Jaebeom paused, “but I actually wish you would’ve said that it was instead.”

Mark laughed, he could see the potential of getting to tease Jaebeom about this. “When you said it was serious, I didn’t think it would be this serious.”

“Mark, I swear when you get back I’m going to kill you.” In second thought, maybe calling Mark to tell him about this was a bad idea. Jaebeom pulled away from his phone for a moment before pressing it against his ears again.

“Well, he obviously goes to the same university as us. You’ll see him again, and when you do that’s when you’ll get to talk to him.”

“But that’s the problem, I can’t.” Despite his good looks, Jaebeom didn’t have enough confidence to approach someone he wanted to talk to. He’s rather introverted in that way. It really sucks, especially because he’s really interested in Youngjae and wants to get to know him.

“I know you don’t have much dating experience, well, none of us do.” Mark corrects himself. It’s true though, they’re a very close-knit friend group. They always do everything together and don’t really bother with the dating world. “But if you want to chase after him, then you should take initiative or else you’ll regret it. What do you have to lose, you know?”

“I guess.” Jaebeom wasn’t fully convinced.

“Hey, how about this.” Mark stays quiet for a bit to think. “You can come up with an excuse to talk to him. I mean, he technically already did that by giving you his milk carton. You can buy a new one and tell him it’s for that time.”

“Agh!” Jaebeom felt his body shiver from the thought of how cliché that sounds. “That’d just make me look like an idiot, Mark! I shouldn’t have asked you to help me with this. I’m hanging up!”

The line cut. Mark smiled to himself as he stared at his phone. “Idiots listen to idiots.”

“Everything okay?” Mark’s little brother asks. “Dinner is ready.”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Jaebeom threw his phone to the side. “What, is he insane! How can I chase after him if I don’t even know he’s even a bit interested in me.”

Youngjae was lying comfortably in bed, staring at his high ceiling. He could take a nap right now, but he’s way too awake to even consider it. Suddenly embarrassed about what happened earlier today, Youngjae covered his face with a pillow. His muffled screams couldn’t even escape the sides of the pillow.

“There’s no way he’ll like me now.” Youngjae is quite an emotional person, and small things like this can get him feeling down. He turned over to his side and slipped his hand under his phone. He switched over to the speakers when it started dialing.

“What’s up?”

“Jinyoung, I need help.” Youngjae stumbled over his words. He technically had no energy to explain whatever this situation was, but there's no way he could stop thinking about this even if he tried.

“This sounds like a ‘I need help sorting out my feelings’ kind of help?”

“How do you know me so well?” But of course, that was a rhetorical question that Youngjae already knew the answer to.

Jinyoung chuckled and proceeded, “Okay, go ahead.”

“Remember when we went out to have barbeque last night? Well,” Youngjae took a breath in because whatever he says next might sound really absurd, “there was someone that caught my eye. He looked so handsome, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him all day. But anyway, I still went to the library today. It was just me for maybe an hour and then someone came over to sit at the same table as me. Jinyoung, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“This is starting to sound like you’re describing a movie to me.” Jinyoung commented.

“Right, but in the movies it’s really cute or maybe really tacky.” Youngjae added. “This was just completely awful, okay. It was him, the guy from last night. I literally can’t believe I met him like this. I don’t even know if he noticed me from the restaurant, but I would think he did? I think we made eye contact, oh, but maybe it’s good that he didn’t notice me. That would’ve been bad.”

“How exactly is meeting this guy from last night awful? It sounds like you’re really interested in him. Could this be love at first sight?” Jinyoung teased.

“No!” Youngjae disagreed almost immediately. “First of all, it’s not love at first sight. Second of all, it’s awful because I embarrassed myself right in front of him. He started coughing, right? I had two strawberry milk cartons with me, so stupid me decided why not give him one. Jinyoung, am I crazy? Like who does that.”

“Why? That sounds really cute to me.”

“No, here comes the worse part. I started panicking and wanted to get out of there, so I was packing all of my things. But when I closed my book, it flung his papers off the table. I looked like a mess, Jinyoung. There’s no way he’d be interested in me now.”

“Slow down, Youngjae.” It’s been awhile since Jinyoung has seen Youngjae act like this. “You’re gonna sound like you just ran a mile with all this talking.”

“Jinyoung!” Youngjae yelled out. “This is serious, please.”

“I’m not teasing you!” Jinyoung tried to reassure him. “I don’t know if you know this, but when you get flustered it really shows your charm. You thinking that you ‘messed up’ or possibly embarrassing yourself could’ve been really cute to him.”

“It’s like what you said, ‘could’ve,’ but I highly doubt it.”

“I’m sure he’ll try talking to you again or something. I’d tell you to go for it and approach him first, but I know you’re shy. I don’t want you to get anxious about it.” When it comes to talking about crushes and relationships, Jinyoung isn’t the best one to talk to about it. Even so, he’s still a really good friend who knows how to listen.

“Thank you for worrying about me.” Youngjae stares at his phone screen. It makes him happy that Jinyoung wants to push him to go beyond and do things he’s afraid of doing, but also understanding that it can leave him feeling anxious.

“So don’t worry about it, okay?” Jinyoung speaks up again. “I guess whatever happens next, you can worry about it then. If you really want, you can wait for him to make a move. Now that I’m saying this, wouldn’t that make you more nervous? Er, how should I say this.”

“It’s okay, Jinyoung.” Youngjae chuckled this time. “I think I know what you’re saying.”

“Are you sure?” Jinyoung worried. “You’re not feeling worse because of what I said? You’re not nervous or anything, right?”

“No, I’m not.” Youngjae answered with laughter. “Okay, I’m gonna go now. I think I’ve kept you long enough.”

“Wait, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes!” Youngjae exclaimed. “I’ll let you know if something happens, okay?”

“Okay.” Jinyoung hesitantly answered. “Make sure to call me!”

“Yes, yes.” Youngjae said before saying he’ll hang up. When he did, he laid there for a while and then turned onto his back again.

Jinyoung laughed and rested his phone on his desk. “Nothing, but a little reverse psychology will do.”

Youngjae thought for a bit before he sat up straight from his bed. His eyes furrowing while he thought a little harder. “I should be the one to approach him. Yeah, that should take him by surprise! Jinyoung said not to worry about it, but maybe it’s time for a change. I should just go for it.”

He slung his legs around and propped himself at the edge of his bed. Youngjae grabbed his pillow and hugged it tightly, “but what if I embarrass myself even more? No, I shouldn’t then. But I actually should, agh, I don’t know what to do!” He shoved his face into his pillow to hide from his own secondhand embarrassment.

“He has such a nice name too. I wonder what it’ll sound like if he says my name.” Youngjae trailed off. “Jaebeom.”

Near the end of each day, the sun would switch shifts with the moon. By this time, Youngjae was already heading to bed. He always sets an alarm beforehand, but this time around he decided to wake up earlier than usual. The library opens later on the weekends at ten instead of their usual eight. “Wake up at 9:30 and then I’ll head over to the library to—to study.” Because there’s no way that he would go to campus so early in the morning just to see Jaebeom, right? There’s absolutely no way.

Sunday rolled around much slower than Jaebeom wanted, but here he was checking out one strawberry milk carton at the convenience store. He checked the time on his phone that read 9:46 AM. As soon as he paid, he made his way over to the library on campus. The library had just opened when he arrived, but instead of heading inside Jaebeom was lounging around at the front.

“I’m an idiot. What am I doing?” Jaebeom stared at the strawberry milk that was cupped between his hands. “It’s a Sunday, who comes here so early just to go to the library—just to see someone. Idiot.”

Youngjae walked furiously towards the library, his head whirring with so many unorganized thoughts. His heart was beating really fast. “I’m here to study, that’s all.” Out of breath, he started walking slower just up ahead because the library building was in plain sight. He drew a tad bit closer and noticed someone standing there. It felt like his heart was beating louder with every step that he took. “I’m just here to—”

Just then they had made eye contact. It really is him. Youngjae panicked and stopped in his tracks. He’s so nervous that he can’t even move, but why does it look like Jaebeom’s walking towards him? Is this what it’s like to have butterflies, but why does it feel more nauseating?

Jaebeom looked down the entire time and abruptly reached out his hand to reveal a milk carton. He stood just a few feet away from Youngjae, his face really flushed with this hint of red. “This—it’s for the other day.”

Youngjae may be really bad at reading facial expressions, but there’s no way he could get this one wrong could he? And for the first time in awhile, Youngjae felt a little more confident. His own cheeks were already painted pink before he’d gotten here. Thinking day and night about this person makes him shy no matter what. Youngjae smiled cheekily and went in to take the milk carton. Their fingers brushed slightly, which surprised Jaebeom. Then it dropped.

“I’m—” Jaebeom only managed to say as he stared at the strawberry milk flowing out of its carton. He started fidgeting with his hands. “I’m so sorry. I can get you another one. I’ll go buy it right now.”

This isn’t like him at all. How can someone like Jaebeom be like this around another person? That’s never happened before. He backtracked and started to walk away before feeling a hand grab onto his arm.

“It’s okay, I don’t need it.” Youngjae was so close to him that it felt really warm. This face, he looks so cute when he’s shy. “How about you treat me out instead?”

**Author's Note:**

> The pacing of this story is definitely slow, but every chapter always focuses on Jaebeom and Youngjae.
> 
> I've already written the second chapter, so it's ready to be posted for whenever. Though it's most likely possible that updates will not be consistent at all, but if plans do go well, please let me know what days you would like updates to be on! I haven't thought about whether to update once or twice a week yet. I'll be focusing on trying to finish the fourth one, which is nearly done I think.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


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